Meal preparation and serving in institutional settings such as hospitals is a labor-intensive effort, requiring a tremendous amount of time and resources to prepare the meals at a remote food preparation area, such as a hospital kitchen, assemble the meals on trays, and then transport the meal trays to the patients' rooms for consumption. Since meals typically include both hot and cold food items, food temperature maintenance presents a significant challenge when large numbers of meals are to be prepared, transported, and served. To assist in this effort, various types of food storage and rethermalization carts have been developed. The carts are typically loaded with prepared meal trays and then transported to a remote site in the general vicinity of where the meals are to be served. At meal serving time, servers remove the trays from the cart and carry the trays to individuals in their rooms where the meals are consumed. After the meals are eaten, the soiled trays, dishes, and leftover food items are collected, placed back in the cart, and the cart is taken back to the hospital kitchen where the soiled trays are removed for cleaning. This labor intensive process is then repeated for the next meal of the day.